Apparatus for drowning, washing, and conveying nitrated cellulose.



b 1, D. HACK. 'APPARATUS FOR DROWNNG, WASHING, AND CONVEYING NITE/'JED CELLULOSEl APPLICATIOT" FILED FEB. 9 i916.

JACOB DAY FLACK, vOF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR DROWNING, WASI-11N G, AND CONVEYING NITRATED CELLULOSE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 8, 1918.

Application filed February 9, 1916. Serial No. 77,229.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB DAY FLAGK, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Drowning, .lVashing, and. Co feying Nitrated Cellulose, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the manufacture of nitrate cellulose material, such as gun cotton, and more particularly to the handling :and Washing of the material when it is removed from the nitrating machines.

1n one method now in use the nitrated cotton from the nitrating machines is thrown into Water tanks on wheels which are pushed outside the building to the washing point, where the acid water is run oii and fresh water sprayed on the cotton. After washing the tank is pushed into the As the work is Aintermittent this car system requires a great number of cars, a great amount of labor and a large space to work 1n.

Another method 1s to wash the cotton down an inclined trough, but it has been found that too much water is wasted by this method. `Still another 'method is to wash the cotton through a tile pipe to the de livery point but the obiection to thisfis that too much water is wasted, and also, it docs y not permit of quick immersion of the cotton so that the latter loses its nitrogen by too much fuming ofi' before it all. gets under the water.

My obiects are, therefore, to provide an apparatus by means of which the cotton may be quickly immersed, to reduce thc loss of nitrogen to a minimum and may be thoroughly washed and simultaneouslv conveyed to the delivery print without wastinglarge quantities of water.

Other objects, novel' features and advantages will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings in which similar reference characters indicate the same parts in the several figures. y

Figure 1 is a plan view of a nitration house' with an apparatus embodying my invention arranged in the house so as to carry out my improved method; l

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus, taken on the line ll-*H ot- Fig. i;

Fig. 3 is an cnlargedplan View of thc discharge end of the apparatus;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional View of the part of the trough shown in Fig. 3, taken on line IV-IV of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view the apparatus, taken on the line VV Fig.

Referring to the drawings in which the preferred form of my invention is shown, 10 designates a nitration house which has two batteries of nitrating machines 11, installed therein. The nitrating machines 11 may be of anv Well known or preferred type in which cellulose material, cotton,- or wood fiber, for instance, is treated with a suitable nitrating liquid or other suitable acid or reagent. l

Between the batteries of nitratingmachines, there. is an elongated. trough or tank 12 which extends through an opening 13 in the end of the nitration house and is of such length as to reach the boiling tub house (not shown). The trough is made of suitable of of acid resisting material, the one shown being be varied to meet the special requirements.

of a particular installation.

About fifteen inches above the bottom 14 of the trough there is an imperforate false bottom 15 which extends to Within about three feet of one end and six feet of the other end.

The false bottom 15 may be made up of a series of boards 15, 15 which are held together by tongue and groove connections and removably supported between upper and lower strips 12 and 12 secured to the inner sides of the trough 12, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. This. construction enables one to readily and quickly renew or repair any section of the false bottom 15, without destroying or removing the entire 4false bottom.4 At

' made in sections as indicated in Fig. 4. Two

vertical side screens 1G are placed 'on the screen- 16, one at4 each side of the trough. These screens intercept the cotton or cellulose material but let the water pass. The edge 17 is below the top edges of the sides and other end of the trough and provides y'an opening through whichthe cotton and excess wash water may discharge onto the inclined platform 18. rlhe part of the platform 1S next to the edge 17 is perforated, as at19, so thutthe cotton may drain and also to permit ,the overflow from the trough to pass into the chamber 20. ,T he waste vfrom the chamber 20 passes to.. the sewer pipe 21.

The false bottom 15 is provided with a hump 22 on its upper side intermediate its ends. A paddle wheel 23 is mounted above and just to one side of the hump 22, so that the paddles of the wheel will move along and close to one of the inclined sides of the hump. The paddle -wheel 23 is located just outside the building 10, and is inclosed by a housing 24. A suitable electric motor 25 is connected to the paddle wheel 23 by belting to rotate said wheel in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2."

The trough is filled with water to the depth oabout ten inches above the false bottom and the action of the paddle wheel is to maintain a circulation on top of the false bottom toward the discharge end, and a return circulation in the opposite direction through the passage 141,in the bottom of the trough toward the inlet end. The wash water is let into the trough from the pipe 27 at the inlet end above the end of the false bottom, and

is allowed to overflow at the discharge end where the cotton is taken out, the current being utilized to float the cotton to the point of discharge. There are, therefore, two currents, one created by thewheel and one by the wash water. By regulating the iow at the valve 28, the dilution of the water of the trough can be made as required. lTlre inlet wash water from the pipe 27 tends to pro.

duce a How inthe troughv but not suicient to carry the cotton unless the amount of water used is excessive and far beyond the amount needed for washing and dilution only.

The nitrated cotton is thrown out of the nitrating machines` r into the trough opposite them. The rapid circulation of the water inimediately immerses or drowns the cotton,- washes it, breaks it up, and carries-it into the paddle wheel, where it is further broken trogen which it would otherwise lose if-exosed to the air. At the same time the cotton is washed of its surplus acid and conveyed to a convenient place for handling.

The water wheel in revolving draws the water from the inlet end of the trough and piles it up at the discharge end so that there is a difference of level between the two ends of three or four inches, the circulating water passing through the screen 16 'at the discharge end. This difference in head produces a rapid circulation required. The cotton carried onto the screen 1G by the current is raked onto the platform 18 with a. mechanical rake driven by power or hand, and from there is discharged onto a suitable conveying means, the wheelbarrow 29, for exi ample. The constant raking off of the screen permits the water to pass through the screen. if the cotton is allowed to lie on the screen it does not entirely stop up the water circulation but merely slows it up and just as soon as the rakinof takes place the circulation is increased. onsequently, as the cotton is raked 0H atthe discharge end of the trough, other cotton follows automatically; Furthermore, the circulation carries the cotton immediatelyaway from the place-where it is thrown in the trough, so that thereis always a clear drowning space to permit the necessary quick immersion of the nitrated cotton, which vis so essential to its retaining its nitrogen.

The trough andv devices associated therewith which contact with the acidulated water are made of acid resisting materials, the screensA consisting of brass, aluminum,l or antimony lead and being adapted to be lifted out of their positions for easy renewal. lVhile I have shown and described a pre 105 ferred form of apparatus for the purposes set forth, it will be clear that various changes may be made therein without de.d parting from the spirit of the invention and other suitable reagents may be employed out- 110 side of nitric acid for making ahighly com bustible or explosive material.

That l claim is:

1. In amap'paratus for drowning, washing and conveying nitrated cellulose material,

the combination .of an elongated shallow trough adapted to contain washwater, a stationary false bottom in said trough having its ends spaced from the inlet and outlet ends of the trough, a device intermediate the ends of the trough for causing a movementof the water -carrying the material toward tliedischargc end of the trough above the false bottom and also immersing and washing said material and returning the water 125 toward the inlet end below the false bottom,

a screen arranged at the discharge end to be a continuation of the false bottom for intercepting the cellulose material but permitting he water to pass, and a return passage for ".30

the Water leading from the discharge end of the trough to the inlet end. y

2. In an apparatus for drowning, washing and conveying nitrated cellulose material, the combination of an elongated shallow trough having an imperforate stationary false bottom intermediate its ends and adapted to contain a body of wash Water, a paddle Wheel intermediate the ends of said trough and having parts thereof adapted to extend into the Water above said false bottom, means for rotating said paddle wheel to cause a continuous flow of Water above said bottom to- Ward the discharge end of the trough to continuously convey the cellulose material away from the place where it is supplied to the trough and also return the water Jtoward the tom, and a screen inclined upwardly from the end of the imperforatefalse bottom to the discharge outlet of the trough, said screen being a continuation of the false bottom and adapted to intercept the cellulose material but permitting the Water to pass therethrough to the space beneath the false bottom to return to the inlet end of the trough. In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JACOB DAY FLACK. lVitnesses:

CHARLES E. MoLns, Rosn C. BRIODY. 

